ABSTRACT
The IMP is an instrument for the evaluation of motor behaviour in the age range of 3 to 18 months. During this period of life, the infant’s motor behaviour changes impressively: for instance, typically developing infants learn to reach and grasp and to sit, stand, and walk. Infants acquire these skills due to a continuous interaction between developmental processes occurring in the body and the environment. Of the developmental changes to the body, those occurring in the brain play a prominent role. In this chapter, we briefly summarize (1) human brain development, (2) muscle development, (3) development of the sensory systems, (4) theories of motor development, and (5) motor development. Our focus is on the developmental changes occurring before the age of two years. In the section on the theories of motor development, we zoom in on the Neuronal Group Selection Theory, as it is the theoretical framework underlying the IMP.
